Dr. Johnson, Do you have the given name of the Widow PETTIT who sold to Noble & Davis? Benjamin PETTIT's wife, Rebecca died in 1827, the same year he did, in Vicksburg, MS. It was my understanding that the widow of Benjamin Jr. went back to KY with her children after her husband died at his father's place in 1804. Did the deed mention that she was the widow of Benjamin? Don Rose Mariposa, CA ----- Original Message ----- From: Dr. Gerald N. Johnson, electrical engineer <geraldj@ames.net> To: Don Rose <darose@yosemite.net> Cc: <MOMADISO-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, January 07, 2001 9:56 AM Subject: Re: [MOMADISO-L] Fredericktown History #3 > My gggp Noble Johnson and his brother Davis Johnson bought pieces of the > Benjamin Pettits survey from his widow who was living in Washington > County at the time (1847 and 1835). I've not worked out which part of > the survey each had. Both surveys begin at a tree by a creek and go in > opposite directions. > > I was in the area last October and took several pictures biased towards > the eastern half surrounding the Sikes place. > > Was there a road across the place in civil war times? I found a road > atlas of the area claiming to be accurate for 1865 in the office at Fort > Davidson in Ironton last October. It shows a road crossing the Little > St. Francois just west of Pettits survey then following about the route > of the modern 72 through the mountains west of the St. Francois. I'm > having trouble believing the map because it claims to show sections but > doesn't show the fractional sections created by the Spanish surveys and > it shows a different path for the Little St. Francois and many other > roads it shows as virtually straight lines between towns and I'm sure > that those can't be accurate through the mountains. All other vintage > maps show straight or smoothly curved routes between the towns which I > can't believe. I did find an 1847 survey at the state archives of a road > that begins near O'bannons and goes west. I may have found a part of it > on the ground last October. I'm still trying to fit the survey onto > topographic maps. West of the St. Francois, it tends to run up mountains > and make right angle turns on top and run down, which I don't believe. > > Gerald J. >

I do have the widow's name, but it will take a while to turn up that deed in the piles behind piles around here. Gerald J.